From Registan.net-great info on all things Central Asian
Do They Or Don’t They?
Ferghana.ru reported yesterday in a nice, bold, straightforward headline that Uzbekistan’s opposition welcomes closer between the Uzbek government and the West. Of course, news like this is never so straightforward. Birlik in Kokand is the only organization mentioned in the report as supporting rapprochement.
Meanwhile, IWPR reports, in an equally straightforward headline, that Uzbek human rights activists fear NATO’s return to Uzbekistan. Unnamed activists say that they fear closer relations will cause human rights to recede into the background as Western governments become too excited about closer security ties. (Though this is not the aim of this post, this sounds not only implausible to me, but it appears to be demonstrably false. Human rights issues seem to be of increasing importance as ties between the West and Uzbekistan wax. Not that I give the West credit necessarily — Uzbekistan’s government knows what the West wants.) Others say that they anticipate closer ties will eventually result in the end of EU sanctions. In my estimation, that’s almost guaranteed, but I don’t really think the sanctions accomplish much anymore. The statement’s been made.IWPR rolls out one lone voice in favor of closer ties between the West and the Uzbek government.
Unlike some local activists, Nadezhda Ataeva, head of the Human Rights in Central Asia Association based in France, is not opposed to NATO returning to Uzbekistan. She views this as a matter of global security that affects the interests of Uzbekistan and the West alike, not least because of the resurgence of Taleban activity in Afghanistan.
But Ataeva insists any western engagement in Uzbekistan must be used as leverage to talk about human rights, so that what happened in Andijan is not forgotten.
All of the above is just an overly long lead-up to an important point about these kinds of stories that may be obvious to those who read them over and over again. It’s all but impossible to find any one report that provides a representative sample of the opinions of human rights activists. The community does not speak with one voice, and more importantly, the community is pretty fractured — different factions don’t speak with one another. It’s hard to say with certainty anything more than that some activists support closer ties with the West and some oppose them.
This is important to keep in mind as relations between the Uzbek government and Western governments warm. I fully expect that various organizations and interests will find voices in Uzbekistan only to eager to speak for the entire community of activists for or against closer ties.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Hip Condoms
An interesting approach to make women carry condoms-make them hip. The condoms are made by Planned Parenthood and sold in boutiques.
MY BACKGROUND AND THIS CLASS
I have been fortunate to have had a myriad of cross-cultural experiences, including serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan, a Peace Corps Crisis Corps Volunteer in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, and as a member of the St. Louis AmeriCorps Emergency Response Team. Each of these opportunities has solidified my interest in pursuing a career in international development. These experiences coupled with my masters degree in International Service, Leadership, and Management will hone me to become a stronger leader who can think critically about situations, evaluate options, and work collaboratively with people from diverse backgrounds.
My desire for public service has always been a large part of who I am. My mother is a school teacher in a Title I school, my father is a retired Naval Captain, and my brother served in AmeriCorps and is presently a counselor at a Title I school. Among the values that my family has instilled in me, is that community service should play an integral part in my life. Their guidance, encouragement, and support have given me a strong foundation for my future endeavors both domestically and internationally.
Serving as an AmeriCorps Emergency Response Team (ERT) Member has also strengthened my commitment to public service. The team was based out of St. Louis, but we traveled all over the country to work with underserved populations in disaster affected areas. Our team also fought forest fires, eradicated mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus, cut down trees that were invasive species in the state, and restored Civilian Conservation Corps buildings to their original state through carpentry and re-roofing. During my service, I quickly came to realize the importance of understanding a person’s situation as well as his/her physical environment in order to ensure the help I was providing was wanted and relevant. Through the many lessons I learned during my AmeriCorps experience, I have become more flexible and patient.
These life lessons were furthered during my time with the U.S. Peace Corps. I was assigned to teach health education in the Uzbek village of Sarbazor, located on the historic Silk Road travel route. As with my time in AmeriCorps, I had to adapt my efforts and approaches within the existing power structure and culture in order to accomplish projects. Seeking out the local leaders and stakeholders, and forging solid working relationships with them, enabled me to empower the members of the village and provide accountability for any projects undertaken. Although some of the projects were small in scope, they helped to establish trust and furthered the community’s willingness to collaborate on future work projects. Living and working in the community and attending social events including weddings and school functions during the time I was in Sarbazor enabled me to understand a greater number of issues facing the community and consider ways to alleviate some of the problems being faced by community members. My service was cut short due to our evacuation from the country after a demonstration resulted in a massacre of untold numbers of Uzbeks and diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and the U.S. broke down. The friendships that I established and the experiences that I had while serving in Uzbekistan have had more influence over my life and my life choices than I ever imagined possible.
After completion of my Peace Corps Service in Uzbekistan I was asked to join the Peace Corps Crisis Corps to serve in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It was a unique opportunity that allowed me to combine both emergency management and intercultural integration skills. My former volunteer work combined with my past job with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allowed for me to work at the Emergency Operations Center for the Orleans parish, many Red Cross distribution centers, and at a horse farm that nursed injured animals back to health. I learned the true value of organizational collaboration, both federal and non-governmental, to serve the needs of the community.
I then worked for the Peace Corps providing assistance and advocacy to Volunteers and their families in times of emergency and crisis. Working with Volunteers from the entire world has also made me more aware of the role that Peace Corps plays in development. Through these experiences, I have become acutely aware of the importance of a graduate degree if I am to reach my personal goal of being an effective member of the development community.
While having a strong desire to assist those in needs is immensely important for the work that I desire to do, I also know that I need to be well equipped with the knowledge, skills and resources to do the work required. The management of information technology course would allow me to broaden and enhance my skills and help me become a vital member of the development community. The world is becoming smaller because of the use of technology, but I need to be educated in order to use it to the benefit of the people that I serve. The course will also provide me with the proficiency needed to work among and liaise with a variety of organizations as well as provide a better understanding of what role each of us plays in the recovery of individuals in crisis and everyday life. Technology like the UN’s ReliefWeb is an excellent example of the melding of technology with humanitarian work. This technology can allow for us all to become better team player in the future by working together in efficient ways.
My desire for public service has always been a large part of who I am. My mother is a school teacher in a Title I school, my father is a retired Naval Captain, and my brother served in AmeriCorps and is presently a counselor at a Title I school. Among the values that my family has instilled in me, is that community service should play an integral part in my life. Their guidance, encouragement, and support have given me a strong foundation for my future endeavors both domestically and internationally.
Serving as an AmeriCorps Emergency Response Team (ERT) Member has also strengthened my commitment to public service. The team was based out of St. Louis, but we traveled all over the country to work with underserved populations in disaster affected areas. Our team also fought forest fires, eradicated mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus, cut down trees that were invasive species in the state, and restored Civilian Conservation Corps buildings to their original state through carpentry and re-roofing. During my service, I quickly came to realize the importance of understanding a person’s situation as well as his/her physical environment in order to ensure the help I was providing was wanted and relevant. Through the many lessons I learned during my AmeriCorps experience, I have become more flexible and patient.
These life lessons were furthered during my time with the U.S. Peace Corps. I was assigned to teach health education in the Uzbek village of Sarbazor, located on the historic Silk Road travel route. As with my time in AmeriCorps, I had to adapt my efforts and approaches within the existing power structure and culture in order to accomplish projects. Seeking out the local leaders and stakeholders, and forging solid working relationships with them, enabled me to empower the members of the village and provide accountability for any projects undertaken. Although some of the projects were small in scope, they helped to establish trust and furthered the community’s willingness to collaborate on future work projects. Living and working in the community and attending social events including weddings and school functions during the time I was in Sarbazor enabled me to understand a greater number of issues facing the community and consider ways to alleviate some of the problems being faced by community members. My service was cut short due to our evacuation from the country after a demonstration resulted in a massacre of untold numbers of Uzbeks and diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and the U.S. broke down. The friendships that I established and the experiences that I had while serving in Uzbekistan have had more influence over my life and my life choices than I ever imagined possible.
After completion of my Peace Corps Service in Uzbekistan I was asked to join the Peace Corps Crisis Corps to serve in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. It was a unique opportunity that allowed me to combine both emergency management and intercultural integration skills. My former volunteer work combined with my past job with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) allowed for me to work at the Emergency Operations Center for the Orleans parish, many Red Cross distribution centers, and at a horse farm that nursed injured animals back to health. I learned the true value of organizational collaboration, both federal and non-governmental, to serve the needs of the community.
I then worked for the Peace Corps providing assistance and advocacy to Volunteers and their families in times of emergency and crisis. Working with Volunteers from the entire world has also made me more aware of the role that Peace Corps plays in development. Through these experiences, I have become acutely aware of the importance of a graduate degree if I am to reach my personal goal of being an effective member of the development community.
While having a strong desire to assist those in needs is immensely important for the work that I desire to do, I also know that I need to be well equipped with the knowledge, skills and resources to do the work required. The management of information technology course would allow me to broaden and enhance my skills and help me become a vital member of the development community. The world is becoming smaller because of the use of technology, but I need to be educated in order to use it to the benefit of the people that I serve. The course will also provide me with the proficiency needed to work among and liaise with a variety of organizations as well as provide a better understanding of what role each of us plays in the recovery of individuals in crisis and everyday life. Technology like the UN’s ReliefWeb is an excellent example of the melding of technology with humanitarian work. This technology can allow for us all to become better team player in the future by working together in efficient ways.
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